If Ryanair strikes cause your flight to be cancelled you could claim £220 back in compensation
Passengers who have had their flights cancelled by Ryanair with less than two weeks' notice during the strikes could claim money back from the airline
RYANAIR is in the middle of a series of strikes this summer that have left more than 600 flights cancelled this week alone.
While the airline is saying that it doesn’t need to pay compensation to passengers who have had their flights cancelled, the official body that oversees and regulates airline travel in the UK says it does.
Which? contacted the Civil Aviation Authority, who said that the airline needs to pay out to customers affected.
A spokesperson from told Sun Online Travel: “The airline is legally obliged to pay compensation to passengers whose flights are cancelled with less than two weeks’ notice, unless it can prove that the cancellations were caused by what’s known as ‘extraordinary circumstances’.
“In most cases, the figure will be €250 (£220) per person and it could be more for some longer flights. The recent strikes by French Air Traffic Controllers are considered to be ‘extraordinary’, as they are outside the airline’s control.
“However, the CAA has confirmed that strikes by Ryanair’s own employees are its responsibility and should be eligible for compensation."
They added: “The CAA said: ‘When a flight cancellation is caused by strike action by the airline’s employees, the airline is required to pay compensation to passengers in respect of the cancellation of the flight, if it has not warned passengers of the cancellation at least two weeks prior to the scheduled time of departure.’”
However Ryanair wrote to the Mail on Sunday and claimed that they were not liable to pay compensation under EU261 legislation.
The airline said: “No compensation is payable when the union is acting unreasonably and totally beyond the airline’s control.”
Which? contacted the Aviation ADR, a body that resolves customers’ disputes with airlines over delayed or cancelled flights.
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This is the company that passengers would use to settle a dispute with Ryanair, or else take their claim to court.
The Aviation ADR agreed that it would rule in the favour of the customer in the case of the Ryanair strikes.
Which? travel editor Rory Boland said: “It is outrageous that Ryanair is once again attempting to shirk its responsibilities by refusing to pay out compensation for cancelling services during the summer - when hard-working families are about to set off on their long-awaited holidays."
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He continued:“The arbitration provider that Ryanair has chosen to work with has already said that it will uphold a previous European ruling that crew strikes aren't usually considered 'extraordinary circumstances'. If the airline continues to refuse to pay, the Civil Aviation Authority must step in and act.”
"If the airline continues to refuse to pay, the Civil Aviation Authority must step in and act.”
Ryanair told Sun Online Travel: "Ryanair fully complies with all EU261 legislation, however as these flight cancellations were caused by extraordinary circumstances, no compensation is due. Under EU261 legislation, no compensation is payable when the union is acting unreasonably and totally beyond the airline’s control."
Sun Online Travel previously revealed that Ryanair has been branded "embarrassing" by passengers over its latest wave of strikes.